Man of the Hour

Since the last post I've been out fighting the good fight, looking to cause explosions and rescue any stranded drones I come across. Got some real good action while out roaming in Verge Vendor. I entered Ouelletta and saw an unnamed Vexor on scan. My memory is hazy, but if I remember correctly there was about four people in local and the pilot who matched the Vexor was a month old! Oh yea! Let's do this! Once I found the belt he was at, I warped to it with Phased Plasma in my 200mm's and Inferno rockets courtesy of the Caldari military loaded and ready to go. Wrecks of poor helpless rats scattered the belt as the Vexor was finishing up the last npc. I landed right on top of him and proceeded to fire with extreme prejudice. His shields were falling fast and my guns were already tearing up his armor when I saw an unnamed Retriever on short scan. What the? I continue firing on the vessel as I was tanking his tech one drones comfortably and when he entered deep armor, the barge shows up on grid right on top of us! What is going on!? The Vexor is in halfway through structure and the barge just sits there, I assume watching the fight going on. When the Vexor exploded I locked up the barge and began unloading on him as well. The shields were falling fairly quick but his drones were banging up my Rifter pretty good. When the barge had 3/4's shields left, I switched to the drones. I fired at the drones for a few seconds when it clicked in my mind that his shields are almost gone, and to switch back to the barge. The fight ensued and I had him in deep armor as my Rifter was running out of it was too late! Gf gf!!

nanite reps and was in low armor as well. I began to align towards the sun to get out of there, but I was close to getting him into structure and decided to turn back around finish him. Two big volleys from the drones put me in deep hull, and I turned around AGAIN ... but

I got my pod out of there and raced back to my outpost in Yvangier to reship. Minutes later I was in a Rifter burning back to Ouelletta hoping that the barge was still there. This time I loaded Fusion ammo with the mindset that since his shields fell quickly, I'll need the extra oomph to punch through his armor and explode the barge. I enter the system, and not only is the barge still there, but there's an unnamed Venture with him as well! Christmas came early!

I warp to the belt and there they were, like a mother whale guiding her young calf through the vast ocean. The two ships were mining together, and I locked up the barge and unleashed my 200mm's and rockets as I swooped in. The drones were out doing their thing, but I wasn't going down this time! The Venture remained in the belt, motionless and still mining! Shock perhaps?? Couple minutes later the barge went down fighting as my gamble with the Fusion ammo paid off, as I checked short I saw a Vigilant on scan. First off I don't know what that is but it sounds bad so I begin aligning towards the sun to get out of there. But the Venture is still chilling in the belt! I lock up the Venture and fire away as I'm aligning. Moments later the Vigilant lands just as the Venture explodes! Time to get out of here! I mash the warp button as the Vigilant locks me up, and just as I'm about to get that last little bit of speed to warp off .... I bounce off an asteroid.

Oh how cruel New Eden is! Kill a ratting Vexor, a barge and a little 'ol Venture, only to be denied my escape via an asteroid! The Vigilant landed his long point and shortly after made quick work of my Rifter. All good fun though, in under 30 minutes got some quick juicy action so I'm a happy camper.


But enough of that! What I really want to share is a kill by a fellow Black Jacket Richard Averald. We've been having a monthly contest of who can get the best solo kill (preferably while flying a frigate) and he not only landed this juicy kill, but told us the story. So in his own words, Richard Averald's account of how he killed a Cruor in a Kestrel!

The Face of Death.

The story
I was starting a solo-roam in Arzad where I had left my ship last time I was logged in. In the area I met a few gangs a few two-person-teams in slicers (one team I engaged but they were plexers and fled). I slowly went through the FW-systems in Devoid and Bleak Lands and came around to Laama the other way around and then entered Tzvi which usually have a couple of vets and the occasional newbie playing hunter and prey.

At the time there was a novice site in Tzvi with a Tristan and a Cruor close. The people in the system had neutral-ish sec status and no one flashed which got me thinking they were team and a "no-go" on engaging with any odds in my favor. In the very next minute I saw the Tristan disappearing from d-scan, he probably went towards the other end of system and next a new medium site appeared at the same time as the Cruor went off d-scan too. Hoped that they were going for a split taking one plex each made hit warp to the new site.

When reaching 14.3AU I saw the Cruor on d-scan, alone. I narrowed d-scan in the direction to see that he was at the site and not nearby. Maybe this could be the chance to try a 1vs1? I suddenly left warp and saw the gate - and there the Cruor was waiting at the gate... I didn't who the pilot was so I was pretty secure of my imminent death: a Cruor at a gate with me warping in at 0km 

I overheated my racks and targeted him. He targeted me first and was already coming closer. I took a few hits and looked into the eyes of the Cruor's death-neuts before my webs hit him. Together with the overheated AB I was slowly getting outside neut range which otherwise would've been a fast - and certain - death.

Am I going to be able to hold him at edge of scram range?

I was.

I kept an eye on d-scan and didn't see the Tristan coming. Then my rockets started chewing into his armor. He had pretty good resists but my chewing was still going at a steady pace. His hits made go into armor when I had taken all his. I was feeling a bit confident now but knew that if he got me inside neut range I would be at a loss - my AB had 96% heat damage now, in other words, overheating any further was not an alternative.

When he was at 50% structure I slowly moved closer to him - I didn't want him to slingshot out of scram in a last effort to break free. On the other hand I was back inside neut range. Luckily rockets have good alpha and two rounds of rockets later I was blinded by the awesome destruction of the Cruor. I immediately tried to scram his pod but he was already on the way and I was full of adrenaline and joy - this is why Eve rocks!

Sincerely,

Richard \o/

Man! I read that and was smiling the whole time! That's why we enjoy solo pvp! Motivated pilots doing amazing things with tech 1 frigates! I'm grateful to have found a home in New Eden with other pilots who share the same love and play style :]

Until next time!